Enterprise portals typically seek to provide users with a single point of access to multiple resources such as information and services. For example, in a business setting, employees may use enterprise portals to manage inventory, track finances, and review procedures, all through a unified interface such as by directing a browser to an intranet site. A portal includes components, referred to herein as portal applications.
Typically, business objects, such as inventory, customer lists, and engineering information, are maintained by one component, such as a business information server. Documentation, such as product manuals, sales reports, and testing data, is typically maintained by another component, such as a document management system. Complex queries are generally required to find documents in the document management system that are related to business objects in the business information server and vice versa. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a better way to locate relevant information.